Sonography bed having patient support and sonographer access provisions

ABSTRACT

A patient exam bed useful for sonograms including echocardiography exams has a mattress provided with one or more pop-up wedges as well as one or more access bays formed through a side edge of the mattress. The access bays provide reach up access to a patient from below a plane of the mattress top, and can be filled-in when not needed by movable or removable in-fill sections. The pop-up wedges act to chock or support a patient to hold steady in a specific angle-of-roll or attitude chosen from various angles of lying down on one&#39;s side. The mattress optionally might have one or more folding sections to convert the bed into more like a chair or reclining chair. Additionally, any of the various foregoing options may be enhanced with power equipment to drive the movable components through their movements.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 10/325,684, filed Dec. 19, 2002 now abandoned, which claims thebenefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/342,547, filed Dec. 20,2001, and which also is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 09/943,545, filed Aug. 30, 2001 now abandoned,which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/229,823,filed Aug. 31, 2000. All the foregoing patent documents are incorporatedby reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to patient beds and tables and, more particularly,to a sonography bed or table having patient support and sonographeraccess provisions.

In the field of cardiology, sonography exams are sometimes given a moreparticular name, ie., echocardiography exam. In other fields saygynecology and so on, such exams are simply referenced by the moregeneralized name, sonogram or sonography exam. A bed in accordance withthe invention is provided with an inventive top having any of variousoptions such as and without limitation (i) one or more pop-up wedges,(ii) one or more access bays formed through the bed's lateral edge, anyof which access bays, during times of non-use, (iii) are equipped to befilled in by movable or removable flaps. The inventive bed might furtherinclude the option of having (iv) one or more folding sections toconvert the bed into more like a reclining chair or chaise longue.Additionally, any of the various foregoing options may be enhanced withpower equipment to drive the movable components (if any) through theirmovements. In use for echo-cardiography (among other uses), a pop-upwedge facilitates supporting a patient to hold steady in a specificattitude (ie., of roll) on one's side, or in technical language, in alateral decubitus position.

A number of additional features and objects will be apparent inconnection with the following discussion of preferred embodiments andexamples.

2. Prior Art

The reference of U.S. Pat. No. 5,184,363—Falbo, Sr., discloses anecho-cardiography bed having dual drop sections. More particularly, thebed has a mattress top that includes two drop-out sections. A principaldrop-out section is located on the bed's left-side for exposingunderneath a patient lying on his or her left side. The exposed portionof the patient is the heart region of the patient's left-side rib cage.This location of the principal drop-out section allows an examiner toreach up and rub a sonographic probe against the exposed left side ofthe rib cage. According to the reference, the other drop-out section islocated to provide an opening for the examiner to use, to accommodatethe examiners legs during the examination.

The text of the reference recites:—“The [examiner] may then stand in[this other] opening, or sit on mattress with the [examiner]'s legswithin the opening [to do the exam]. . . . ” See, eg., the Abstract.

By way of background, echocardiography exams are one tool among othersthat allow diagnosis of the heart's health. Typically, a patient isasked to exercise (as on a treadmill) in order to elevate the heartbeat.Then the patient is stopped and examined immediately by anechocardiography procedure. Standardized guidelines impose a window ofopportunity of only forty-five seconds or so to acquire data for aprocedure known as “stress echo” or the like (although, other proceduresmay extend over twenty minutes). The “stress echo” exam has to becompleted so swiftly because the elevated heartbeat falls away withintwo minutes or so (ie., after exercise is quit and not once dataacquisition starts; there is a lag between exercise quit time and dataacquisition start time).

The general practice in the art is to have the patient to lie down forthe exam on his or her left side. Perhaps this posture causes the heartto fall against (or near) the left side of the rib cage. That way, maybethe sensitive sonograph probes that are rubbed against the left-sideheart region of the rib cage can get better results.

The above-referenced patent of Falbo, Sr., discloses an exam bed havingat least a principal drop-out section. Knowing the foregoing briefsketch of cardiography exams helps understanding the purpose of theprincipal drop-out section. The fixed part of the bed's mattresssupports the stretched out patient while the principal drop-out sectionexposes the patient's left-side heart region of the rib cage. Exposingthe patient's left-side heart region allows the examiner access to rubthe sonograph probes.

To move over to another matter, the Falbo, Sr., reference also disclosesa subordinate drop-out section on the opposite side of the bed. Asstated, “The [examiner] may then stand in [this subordinate] opening, orsit on mattress with the [examiner]'s legs within the opening [to do theexam]. . . . ” See, eg., the Abstract.

More specifically, standing or sitting on the opposite side of the bedto do the exam presents challenges that right-handed examiners have todeal with. Such challenges include that, standing or sitting on theopposite side of the bed to do the exam entails reaching over andwrapping one's arms completely around the patient in order to rub theprobe. How the probe is worked can be better envisioned by any of us bythinking of holding a coffee mug in our right hand by the handle, andrubbing the top of mug under the seat of a chair in which we sit. Exceptthat, curled in our arm is a stretched out patient. Some right-handedexaminers choose to do as left-handed examiners do, and work on the sameside of the bed as the patient, either by learning sufficient dexteritywith the probe in the left hand, or by suffering through an awkwardposture whereby the right elbow is dropped low out to the side of thehip and then twisted upwards.

Those right-handed examiners who choose to work from the opposite sideof the bed confront numerous challenges for choosing so. Frequentlythese kinds of patients are so obese that it is uncomfortable,inter-personally as well as physically, to wrap one's arm around them.

The prior art echocardiography beds have presented a number ofshortcomings. For one, many of these patients are suffering severelyfrom the effects of stroke or cardiac disease. They are weak, unsteady,and helpless in helping themselves maneuvering as required—ie., frompacing the treadmill, to hopping onto the bed, and then stretching outand holding still in the reclining or lateral decubitus position—even ifthey most ardently wanted to help themselves. Given the time constraint,the examiner must use the time efficiently both to get the patientstretched out onto his or her side and then get the exam underway. Oneproblem examiners face is finding that—after having steadied the patientin good position for examination, then—the patient can't steady him orherself alone when let go. Whereas patients are asked to lie on theirleft side as a general proposition, examiners are quite particular as tothe exact position they want for any given patient. This depends onfactors ranging from (i) the examiner's choice to (ii) the figure andproportions of the patient.

Examiners adjust each patient swift as possible—into that examiner'sfavorite position, as for that particular patient, and at thatparticular instance of an examination—in order not to waste any time.Examiners then would like to be able to let completely go in order toturn their complete attention next on manipulating the test equipment.The position the patient was adjusted to might not be very comfortable.It might be a position that is even impossible to hold in a completelyrelaxed state. The examiner may be expecting the patient have someminimum ability to tense sufficient muscles somewhere in order to holdthe position. But with many of these poor patients, even thatexpectation is too much. They are weak, unsteady, and helpless.

What is needed is an improvement which provides solutions toechocardiography examiner's problems with steadying a patient inposition during an exam. It is an object of the invention to provide ameans to prop and steady the patient for the exam.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide a sonography exam bed withone or more pop-up wedges that are disposed to prop a patient on his orher side and in what might be an awkward or hard-to-hold exam positiongiven a patient in poor or weak health.

It is another object of the invention to provide the foregoingsonography exam bed with a heart-region access opening on the left sidefor exposing reach-up access to the patient's left-side rib-cage heartregion, in combination with a ledge on the inboard side to provideanti-sagging support to a thin strip of the patient's rib cage infurther combination with at least one pop-up wedge providingconcurrently anti-rolling support.

It is an alternate object of the invention to provide a sonography exambed with one or more access bays formed through the bed's lateral edgeand which is(are) filled-in during times of non-use by movable orremovable flaps.

It is an additional object of the invention that a sonography exam bedincorporating any inventive combination of the foregoing be providedwith one or more folding sections to convert the bed into more like achair or reclining chair.

It is a further object of the invention that any of the variousforegoing options be enhanced with power equipment to drive the movablecomponents (if any) through their movements.

These and other aspects and objects are provided according to theinvention in a sonography exam bed having patient support andsonographer access provisions. The inventive bed comprises essentiallyan elongated bed surface and a prop section. The elongated bed surfaceextends between left and right sides and a pair of ends. The bed surfaceis formed with left and right openings such that the bed surface as awhole comprises a relatively enlarged headrest portion, a relativelyenlarged bench portion, and a ledge portion longitudinally bridgingtherebetween and also defining the respective inboard margins of theleft and right openings.

The left opening is sized and arranged for exposing from underneath theheart region of a reclining patient's left-side rib cage. The ledgeportion is sized sufficiently wide but not unduly narrow forundergirding a thin strip of the patient's rib cage in order to supportagainst sagging into the left opening.

The prop section is attached to the bed for disposition in an upposition with respect to the bed surface and located so as to be neithertoo remote from nor close upon the left opening's inboard margin. Thatway, the “up” prop section not only to provides a rest for the patientto lean against but also promote proper patient position with respect tothe thin strip supported on the ledge portion while otherwise the heartregion of the left-side rib cage is substantially exposed fromunderneath through the left opening. It is an aspect of the inventionthat the prop section in the up position and the ledge portioncooperatively provide anti-rolling and anti-sagging support for properlyreclining patients.

Preferably the right opening is framed in part by a headrest margin andbench margin of the bed surface. These two margins cooperatively definean outboard gap for the right opening. The right opening is useful forstanding or sitting access for the sonographer during examination,especially sitting access on the bench margin thereof. So, as long asthe prop section is in the up position, the following is an aspect ofthe invention. That is, the patient exam bed excludes any structure frombeing arranged restrictive to sonographer access through the outboardgap, or otherwise impede the sonographer's freedom to swing a leg in theright opening or take a seat on the bench margin, in order to obtain notjust reasonable airspace clearance through the outboard gap, or abovethe bed for taking a seat on the bench margin, but also reasonableairspace clearance under the bed through which a sonographer will likelykick or swing a leg or knee.

Optionally, the prop section is attached to the bed for movableadjustment between various positions including various up positionsranging from straight up to shallow or steep angles of inclination. Thatway, the prop section is adjustable among the various up positions toaccommodate different sizes of patients in service of providing patientsa rest to lean against while the left-side rib cage spans across theleft opening.

The invention might further incorporate a fixing arrangement forreleasably fixing the prop section among the various inclined positions.The fixing arrangement is likewise faithful to the exclusion of anythingrestrictive to sonographer access through the outboard gap, or otherwiseimpede the sonographer's freedom to swing a leg in the right opening ortake a seat on the bench margin, in order to preserve reasonableairspace clearance through the outboard gap, above the bed for taking aseat on the bench margin, and also under the bed where a sonographerwill likely kick or swing a leg or knee.

The fixing arrangement can be achieved various ways, including eitherconfigured for one-handed operation or hands-free operation. Theone-handed version comprises a multiply-notched brace, suspended fromthe prop section's headrest margin, and a fixed catch pin, secured tothe right opening's headrest margin. The hands-free version comprises acoupling system, a drive source mounted under the bed and remote fromthe prop section, and a foot-operated control unit for operative controlover the adjustment of the prop section. This coupling system isarranged to transmit drive input from the drive source to the drivenprop section. The coupling system is faithful to the exclusion, with theprop section deployed either straight up or otherwise relativelysteeply, of anything restrictive to sonographer access through theoutboard gap, or otherwise impedes the sonographer's freedom to swing aleg in the right opening or take a seat on the bench margin, and sopreserve reasonable airspace clearance through the outboard gap, abovethe right opening's bench margin, and also under the bed where asonographer will likely kick or swing a leg or knee.

The prop section, at least in the straight up position, presents abuffer between the back of a properly reclining patient and the lap of asonographer seated on the right opening's bench margin. Preferably theprop section is installed for movement furthermore to a fill position inwhich the prop section presents with the bed surface a generallyuninterrupted patient-supporting area along the length of the bedsurface adjacent the right side. The bed might further include a fillersection for the left opening, that is installed to the backrest sectionfor movement between a fill position, in which the filler sectionpresents with the backrest section a generally uninterruptedpatient-supporting area along the length of the backrest sectionadjacent the left side, and, a deployed position, which opens the leftopening.

Additionally, the bed surface might be partitioned into at least a seatsection and a movable backrest section that is attached to the bed formovable adjustment between various inclined positions ranging fromshallow to steep. The movable backrest section would incorporate theledge and headrest portions as well as carry with it the prop and fillersections as well as. The seat section would incorporated some of thebench portion.

The prop section is fitted this way for another advantages. That is,with the prop section deployed straight up at least a relatively steeplyit presents a vertical edge that is proximate the bench portion of thebed surface. This vertical edge is located relative to the left openingto allow a properly reclining patient's buttocks to project past it (orcurl or curve beyond it), free of obstruction from the vertical edge, inorder that the prop section may come in contact with the small of theback.

An alternative version of the bed substitutes a second prop section forthe filler section. That way, the dual prop sections are deployable suchthat either one alone or in combination with the other provideanti-rolling support for reclining patients on the ledge of the bedsurface. Preferably the prop sections are sized longitudinally compactto achieve sufficient longitudinal stiffness if the fixing arrangementsare linked to the corresponding prop section by, alternatively, either asingle link, or else asymmetrically disposed links.

A number of additional features and objects will be apparent inconnection with the following discussion of preferred embodiments andexamples.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

There are shown in the drawings certain exemplary embodiments of theinvention as presently preferred. It should be understood that theinvention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed as examples, andis capable of variation within the scope of the appended claims. In thedrawings,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sonography bed having patient supportand sonographer access provisions in accordance with the invention,wherein a patient is shown in dashed lines to illustrate a manner ofreclining across an access opening in the bed for sonogram examinationpurposes (eg., echocardiography);

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the bed in isolation;

FIG. 3 is a reduced scale top plan view comparable to FIG. 2 exceptshowing a more detailed example use of the bed, ie., a view in whichboth a patient and sonographer are shown in order to illustrate variousprovisions of the bed in relation to sonogram examinations, patientsupport, and sonographer access;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged scale perspective view of a sonographer accessprovision formed in the bed's right side (other portions of bed thebeing broken away), and additionally showing a lift or “patient support”section therefor, as in a deployed position (in contrast to a closedposition);

FIG. 5 is a right side elevational view of the bed;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line VI—VI in FIG. 2 exceptshowing the drop and lift sections of the bed in closed positions;

FIG. 7 is a partial sectional view, comparable to FIG. 6, except showingthe drop and lift sections in deployed positions as in FIGS. 1 through5;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged scale elevational view taken of detail VIII inFIG. 5;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along line IX—IX in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a sonography bed in accordance with analternate embodiment of the invention, ie., one which is provided withplural lift sections;

FIG. 11 is a sectional view comparable to FIG. 6 except showing afurther embodiment of the invention, ie., one which is provided withpower-driven drop and lift sections wherein the closed positions foreach are shown in solid lines as, in contrast, the open positions whichare shown in dashed lines;

FIG. 12 is right side elevation view of an additional embodiment of theinvention, ie., one which has movable sections like a chaise longue orthe like, having an inclinable backrest section, an intermediate seatsection, and a declinable knee-comfort section; and

FIG. 13 is an enlarged scale perspective view of an offset linkagesystem for inter-linking the power-driven drop section with thelinear-actuator source of drive power, wherein other portions of the bedare broken away.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1 through 3 show a sonography bed 100 in accordance with theinvention comprising a mattress assembly 104 mounted on a wheeledcarriage 106.

The mattress assembly 104 comprises a major mattress section 110 beinggenerally rectangular except formed with a pair of lateral openings 80and 90 spaced from each other by a ledge portion 130. The ledge portion130 bridges between and/or interconnects a relatively enlarged headrestportion 112 of the major mattress section 110 with a more expansivebench portion 114. The lateral opening 90 in the bed 100's left side isuseful as an exam access opening for exposing the heart region of areclining patient's left-side rib cage. In contrast, the lateral opening80 on the bed 100's right side is useful for standing or sitting accessfor the sonographer during examination, especially sitting access.

For each opening 80 and 90, the mattress assembly 104 further includes amovable flap or section 120 and 125. Several of the views (eg., FIGS.1–5 and 7) show the movable sections 120, 125 in deployed positions, incontrast to FIG. 6 which shows the movable sections 120, 125 in closedpositions. In their closed positions, the movable sections 120 and 125close or “fill” their respective opening 80 or 90 in order to give thebed 100 a full surface, ie., without the openings left “open” by theabsence of the shut sections 120 or 125. That way, a full and/or flatmattress assembly 104 (ie., with “filled-in” openings as in FIG. 6)renders the bed 100 useful for other purposes besides echocardiographyalone. Also, a full and/or flat mattress assembly 104 (ie., full and/orflat as in FIG. 6) is easier for getting patients on and off the bed100.

In their deployed positions the movable sections 120,125 serve variousaspects of the invention, but in different ways. The movable section 125has a deployed position that serves to open the heart-region accessopening 90. One way of achieving this is by pivoting movable section 125on pivot fixtures 127 which allow it to swing down in a dropped positionas shown in FIG. 7. Accordingly, movable section 125 is alternativelyreferred to herein as a “drop” section.

Movable section 120 is likewise pivoted on pivot fixtures 122 except itdeploys straight up as well as various angles of inclination.Accordingly, movable section 120 is alternatively referred to herein asa “wedge” section. And so, wedge section 120 serves many purposes. One,it provides anti-roll support by propping or chocking the patient in aselected attitude (of roll). Another, it exposes the leg-access bay 81(ie., the width of the leg-access opening 80 minus the inboard sliceoccupied by the deployed wedge section 120). Furthermore, it is abuffer. That is, the wedge section 120 partly shields the sonographerfrom patients, many of whom have bedsores, fleas or scabies because ofprolonged invalidity in unclean environments or the like. Some examprocedures can take as long as twenty minutes.

Given the foregoing, pause can be taken to sketch briefly anechocardiography procedure. At some original time the sonographerreceives the patient and makes plans how best to carry out the procedurewith that patient. The sonographer might begin with the wedge section120 in a given angle up while beginning with the drop section 125 in theclosed, or level or else “in-fill” position. Now the patient is ready tobe exercised to elevate heart rate.

Many patients of this procedure are already sick, frail and weakened,perhaps suffering greatly from the effects of stroke or heart disease.Exercise only exacerbates such patients ability, will and/or anxiety tostretch out across the drop section 125. Some fear it like a trap door.The deployed wedge section 120 not only provides patients a prop to leanagainst so not to roll out of position but it also provides assurancethat the patients are properly shelved on the ledge 130. That is, theledge 130 undergirds a thin strip of the patient's rib cage in order tosupport against sagging after the drop section 125 is cut loose to swingdown. Again, since many of these patients are weak and fearful, the bed100 must provide “actual” anti-roll and anti-sagging support as well asshould provide, in contrast, an anxiety-alleviating “appearance” ofsupport. Elderly and/or weak patients in particular haven't the strengthor endurance with their trunk muscles to keep properly stiff and not sagin the heart-region access opening 90. If a patient starts to shake, thesonographer will probably have to stop the exam and re-start with a newexercise cycle. These patients are usually too physically unfit to beable to do indefinite repeat cycles of exercise, so it is desirable tocomplete the exam on the first or earliest opportunity available. Thewedge section and ledge combination 120 and 130 provide comfort as wellas alleviate fear with nervous patients that the exam will be reasonablycomfortable.

Once exercise is stopped, the sonographer is practically in a raceagainst the clock to achieve the position shown in FIG. 3. It shows apreferred posture for sonographer and patient during while actual dataacquisition is underway. The sonographer has seated himself (or herself)on the bed 100 as shown, to wrap his or her right arm around the patientfor ultimately pressing and/or rubbing the probe under the heart regionof the patient's left-side rib cage. The sonographer's posture issomething like how any of us, while seated, might rub a coffee mug upunder a chair in which we're seated. It is an aspect of the inventionthat the wedge section and ledge combination 120 and 130 cooperativelyprovide anti-rolling and anti-sagging support.

Given that sketch of an exam procedure, attention can be resumed todescribing the invention. FIGS. 6 and 7 show that the wedge and dropsections 120 and 125, while movably attached by means of the pivotfixtures 122 and 127, are preferably attached non-removably, and incontrast to being removable, like withdrawing a drawer or otherwise.This is preferred because it eases the work of finding all the partsagain to return the bed 100 back to fully flat. Additionally, this makesthe bed 100 more readily adaptable to equipping with power, as moreparticularly described below in connection with FIGS. 11 through 13.

It is also preferred if the heart-region access opening 90 is sized tomeasure about thirteen inches (thirty-three cm) square. FIG. 2 showsthat the heart-region access opening 90 is framed on three sides by theheadrest, ledge and bench portions 112, 114 and 130 of the mattressassembly 104's major mattress section 110. As FIG. 1 or 3 show, theheadrest margin 112H props the patient's shoulder, with arm thrustforward, as the bench margin 114H props the patient at the waist orhipbone. Experience finds that a gap between the headrest and benchmargins 112H and 114H that measures about thirteen inches (thirty-threecm) is an adequate compromise between short and tall patients. A smallergap would be preferred for special purpose beds such as pediatric (ie.,children's) beds, perhaps something like nine inches (twenty-three cm)or so.

With reference to FIG. 2, line VI—VI extends across the bed 100's widthwhere it includes the openings 80 and 90. Hence the bed 100's overallwidth can be expressed as the sum of (i) and (ii) the width of theheart-region and leg access openings 90 and 80, plus (iii) the width ofthe ledge 130. FIG. 6 is the section view taken through line VI—VIexcept showing the wedge and drop sections 120 and 125 in closedpositions. Consequently, the bed 100's overall width can bealternatively expressed as the sum of (i) and (ii) the width of thewedge and drop section 120 and 125 plus (iii) the width of the ledge130.

FIG. 7 shows the wedge section 120 deployed in its full up position. Thepivot fixtures 122 for wedge section 120 pivot the wedge section 120about a pivot axis that is located out and away from the leg-accessopening 80's inboard extreme (as well as below the plane of the majormattress section 110's upper surface 111). Whereas FIG. 6 shows that thewidth of the wedge section 120 corresponds to the width of theleg-access opening 80, FIG. 7 in contrast shows that the wedge section120, in its full up position, presents a height less than its full widthby the amount it is dropped below the level of the upper surface 111.With that in mind, the overall width of the bed 100 can be expressed bythe following equation.

$\begin{matrix}{\begin{matrix}{Overall} \\{Bed} \\{Width}\end{matrix} = {\begin{matrix}{Heart} \\{Opening} \\{Width}\end{matrix} + \begin{matrix}{Height} \\{of} \\{Wedge}\end{matrix} + \begin{matrix}{Drop} \\{of} \\{Wedge}\end{matrix} + \begin{matrix}{Width} \\{of} \\{Ledge}\end{matrix}}} & (1)\end{matrix}$

One design issues concerns the location of the wedge section 120's pivotaxis. Since the bed 100 is upholstered, for practical purposes the pivotaxis is preferably located somewhere else than at inboard upperextremity of the leg-access opening 80. Neither the upper upholsteredmattress surface 111 nor the upper upholstered wedge section surface 121contains (or has nearby) sufficient solid structure to mount pivotfixtures. Hence, this is done in part to avoid pinch problems betweenthe upholstered cushioning layers of the wedge section and ledge 120 and130. Conversely, it is preferred to located the wedge section 120'spivot axis reasonably proximate to the inboard upper extremity of theleg-access opening 80 for compactness reasons. Trial and error has endedup with the preferred design to date. For example and withoutlimitation, the pivot axis might be put at two-and-one-half inches (˜sixcm) outboard from the inboard extreme and about one-half inch(˜one-and-one-quarter cm) below the plane of the upper upholsteredsurface 111 of the major mattress section 110. One consequence of thisis that the wedge section 120's upholstered surface 121 glides by theledge 130. Accordingly, this eliminates pinching between the wedgesection 120 and ledge 130. Also, this design allows easier cleaning. Inother words, it eliminates a virtual trough which would otherwise onlycollect and fill with nasty particles shed by patients (usually theinvalids who arrive from unclean environments), such as fleas orscabies, or else shaved hair infested with the same. By way ofbackground, hairy-chested patients are shaved on the bed 100 beforeexercise (usually by a nurse, not the sonographer).

Another design (more accurately, size) issue concerns choosing a“height” for the wedge section 120 to present in its deployed position.To illustrate an example calculation of this using real measurements,consider the following. Assume first that the chosen location for thewedge section 120's pivot axis which is suitably proximate the upperinboard extreme of the leg-access opening 80 nevertheless results indropping about three inches (eight cm) of the wedge section 120 belowthe plane of the upper surface 111. So, if it is intended that the wedgesection 120's height when deployed is thirteen inches (thirty-three cm),then the width of the wedge section 120 will add up to about sixteeninches (forty-one cm).

The actual choice of “height” for the wedge section 120 (in the deployedposition) is an arbitrary choice in part, but there are extremes betweentoo low (in which case the wedge section 120 does not sufficientlysupport the patient) and too high (in which case it interferes with thereach of the sonographer). To be more particular about being too high,if the wedge section 120 projects up too high then it will interferewith the sonographer's swing of his or her arm when moving swiftly intothe exam position in FIG. 3. An unduly high wedge section (eg., 120)might also catch the sonographer in the arm pit while assuming an examposition like FIG. 3, in which case such an “unduly high” wedge section(eg., 120) will cut off blood circulation during the exam, and put thesonographer's arm to sleep.

Hence design of the wedge section 120's deployed height is a balancebetween being high enough to usefully prop the patient in contrast tonot being overdone as to be problematical for the sonographer.Accordingly, trials have found the preferred range to be between aboutnine and thirteen inches (twenty-three to thirty-three cm) high.

The bed 100's overall width, to digress for a moment, is usuallystipulated by market factors, such as depending on what sort of doorwaysit must navigate through. As a matter of background, exam rooms can beunbelievably cramped. They are almost closets, with narrow doorways tomatch.

Design of the wedge section 120's width is a balance among the widths ofthe ledge 130 and heart-region access opening 90 within context of thebed 100's overall width. To better appreciate size issues surroundingthe ledge 130's width, consider hypothetically a bed being constructedvery narrow (say eighteen inches, or forty-six cm wide) and beinglimited to being formed with only a heart-region access opening. Thatis, this hypothetical bed is too narrow to allow inclusion of a legaccess opening on the right side. It only has sufficient width to allowinclusion what in the inventive bed 100 corresponds to the ledge 130 andheart-region access opening 90. Assume furthermore that the heart-regionaccess opening in the hypothetical bed is likewise recessed in from thebed's left side by thirteen inches (twenty-three cm). Theoretically thiswould be a workable bed for right-handed sonographers, but scary forpatients. Experience teaches that an echocardiography patient's anxietyratchets up in proportion to the narrowness of the bed because, such abed does not appear like it will offer much stability. The patients atthat time in their lives are not feeling much like acrobats. A frailelderly women can be imagined as rightfully complaining, ‘I'll fall offthat bed.’ No words could likely assure her that, the bed is as wide asnecessary. But to be fair to patient perception, not only does a widerbed reduce patient anxiety, a wider bed truly does offer more stability.Morever, since bed height is adjustable to the individual desires of thesonographer, then the bed ought to be wider for higher height settings.Wider beds offer more certainty to all parties that the patient can bestably stretched out on it.

Now, an easily-perceived shortcoming with this hypothetical bed is that,since there is no right-side or “leg-access” opening, then aright-handed sonographer must sit on the right outboard margin of thebed to do exams. In consequence, his or her legs are pointing his or herwaist in the wrong direction. In order to do the exam, the sonographerwould have to twist in the trunk, and lean over a lot further. Thiswould cause undue musculoskeletal injury over long enough time. Inreality, conventional wisdom has opted for producing the bed wider incombination with providing a leg-access opening in the right side.

However, not everything is simply solved by simply resolving toincorporate a leg-access opening 80 when it comes to sizing the width ofthe ledge 130. Ideally a designer would prefer to size the heart-regionaccess opening 90 first, then the width of the ledge 130, and finallythe height of the deployed wedge section 120, and in summation arrive atthe designer's choice for width of bed 100. However, bed width isusually a fixed variable because, there are standardized bed widths thatpurchasers expect. So, one way at arriving at ledge width is by,starting with a given bed width, choosing a size for the heart-regionaccess opening 90 on the left side of the bed 100 and then a height anddrop for the wedge section 120 which summed together will fill aleg-access opening 80 on the right side of the bed. What's left may bereckoned as determining remainder leftover for width of the ledge 130.

In contrast to “ledge width” being a residual factor, there are otherconsiderations. The ledge 130 can't be too narrow because (i) it willnot provide meaningful anti-sagging support to even a thin strip of thepatient, (ii) it will weaken the construction of the bed 100 especiallyin double-duty as a “Fowler” panel (eg., what's indicated as 172 in FIG.12) for a chaise longue configuration, and (iii) there are attendantproduction problems as well as upholstering problems with too narrow aledge 130. In contrast, the ledge 130 can't be too wide or else therewill be other problems. If the ledge 130 is too wide, then a patientproperly positioned with respect to exposing a slice of the left-siderib cage over the heart-region access opening 90, will in fact be tooremote from ever leaning against the wedge section 120. In consequence,the wedge section 120's purpose would be nullified. Moreover, thesonographer would have to lean way over further to make up for the wastedistance, which would soon provoke musculoskeletal injury or the likefrom working in an uncomfortable position. An alternative problem isthat, if the patient is afforded too wide a ledge 130 to perch on, thenhe or she might scoot too far away from the heart-region access opening90 in search of the wedge section 120. The sonographer won't be able toapply the probe to the heart-region of the patient's left-side rib cagebecause that relevant strip of the rib cage will be perched on the ledge130, in error. In other words, the heart-region of the rib cage will notbe exposed by the heart-region access opening 90 as it should. In viewof those considerations, to date a preferred range for width of ledge130 is between about three and seven inches (˜seven and eighteen cm).

The previous mention of “balancing” design choices can now be betterappreciated. Choosing a specific size for any factor might change thesize of another or several other factors. Each choice has to be testedagainst whether the size of any other factor is changed beyond anacceptable range. Previously, overall width of the bed was expressed bythe equation (1) above. Assume, based on matters previously described,that “width” of the heart-region access opening 90 and the “drop” of thewedge section 120 are fairly settled on at about thirteen inches(thirty-three cm) and three inches (˜eight cm) respectively.Accordingly, inserting at least those values in equation (1) results inthe following.

$\begin{matrix}{Overall} \\{Bed} \\{Width}\end{matrix} = {13^{''} + \begin{matrix}{Height} \\{of} \\{Wedge}\end{matrix} + 3^{''} + \begin{matrix}{Width} \\{of} \\{Ledge}\end{matrix}}$As previously described, it is preferred if the “height” of the wedgesection 120 when deployed in the full up position measures in the rangeof about between nine and thirteen inches (twenty-three to thirty-threecm) because, in that range, it is both useful as a prop while not beingso tall as to be an impediment sonographer movement. Consequently, forsake of illustration, if market forces influence the choice of “overallbed width” to be thirty inches (seventy-six cm), and if the “height ofwedge [section]” is desired to be thirteen inches (thirty-three cm),then that leaves only one inch (two-and-one-half cm) for the “width ofledge,” which is too narrow to be any good. Therefore, if accepted thatthe “Overall Bed Width” is to remain the same (thirty inches, orthirty-three cm), but if instead the “height of wedge [section]” ischanged to be ten inches (twenty-five cm), then that makes “width ofledge” to be four inches (ten cm). These last proportions indeed specifyone preferred embodiment of the invention, which may be expressed infull as follows.

$\begin{matrix}{Overall} \\{Bed} \\\begin{matrix}{Width} \\( 30^{''} )\end{matrix}\end{matrix} = {\begin{matrix}{Heart} \\{Opening} \\\begin{matrix}{Width} \\( 13^{''} )\end{matrix}\end{matrix} + \begin{matrix}{Height} \\{of} \\\begin{matrix}{Wedge} \\( 10^{''} )\end{matrix}\end{matrix} + \begin{matrix}{Drop} \\{of} \\\begin{matrix}{Wedge} \\( 3^{''} )\end{matrix}\end{matrix} + \begin{matrix}{Width} \\{of} \\\begin{matrix}{Ledge} \\( 4^{''} )\end{matrix}\end{matrix}}$

In contrast, a thirty-six inch (˜ninety cm) bed will allow both athirteen inch “Height of Wedge [section]” (twenty-three cm) and seveninch “Width of Ledge” (eighteen cm). The market seems to prefer,however, a thirty inch (seventy-six cm) bed because it apparently fitsthe doorways and modest-sized exam rooms better.

Leaving behind size and proportion issues in the lateral dimension,attention can be turned to size and proportion issues in thelongitudinal dimension.

FIGS. 2 through 4 (among others) show that the, when the wedge section120 is up, the leg-access bay 81 is boxed in on three sides by the wedgesection 120's bottom panel 123, and the headrest and bench portions 112and 114 of the major mattress section 110. The spacing between theheadrest and bench margins 112L and 112L for the leg-access opening 80define a longitudinal gap (eg., and which is also about the longitudinalmeasure of the wedge section 120). This longitudinal measure of the gapis a product of several considerations. First, for purposes of bracingthe wedge section 120, only a single brace 160 is preferred, as bettershown by FIG. 4. That way, the clearance for movement needed by thesingle brace 160 can be confined to a single plane. Preferably, thiscomprises a single lateral plane disposed in common with the headrestmargin 112L of the leg-access opening 80. Preferably the bench margin114L of the leg-access opening 80 is kept clear of structure ormechanisms. These would undesirably impede the sonographer's freedom toswing a leg in the leg-access bay 81 or take a seat upon the benchmargin 114L. For the same reasons, the design of the bed 100 as a wholehas to eliminate all leg-obstructing structure or equipment fromblocking the outboard gap for by the leg-access bay 81. Hence the bedframe structure (eg., indicated as 140 et seq. in FIG. 6) and/or thepivot and bracing mechanisms 122 and 160 for the wedge section 120 allhave to be cleared out of that much of the leg-access opening 80 likelyto be in path of natural standing or seating movements of thesonographer.

The choice of limiting the bracing system for the wedge section 120 to asingle brace 160 influences the choice over how long to make thelongitudinal span of the wedge section 120 too. If the wedge section 120is too long, a single brace 160 on one side is too weak for the job andlikewise such an elongated wedge section 120 braced like that is tooflimsy. A patient leaning against an excessively elongated wedge section120 braced only on the headrest side might roll up so hard against theun-braced bench margin 124 that the wedge section 120 would warp.Conversely, for patient-support purposes, a wedge section 120 that issimply very compact in the longitudinal direction will suffice for anygiven patient. But then of course, there is the need to compensate fordifferent size patients. Thus such compactness in the longitudinaldirection has to be wider than necessary for any one patient because,for a population of patients of varying height, they are going to needapplication of support at varying longitudinal positions relative to theheart-region access opening 90. Accordingly, there are several designfactors that must be accounted for and balanced for these purposes.

For patient-support purposes, the sonographer will want the wedgesection 120 to apply support against the patient generally opposite theprobe. Of course, the probe is going to be applied to the patient on hisor her heart region. At minimum, it is preferred that the wedge section120 apply support at least against the patient's lower back, where itwill do more good than if it contacts the patient high up or past theshoulder, where it is less useful. For sonographer seating purposes, thesonographer will want the bench margin 114L to be located where aseating posture in FIG. 3 will allow the sonographer to comfortablyextend his or her right arm into the heart-region access opening 90 asshown. Additionally, the longitudinal gap spacing the headrest margin112L away from the bench margin 114L must be sufficient to allow thesonographer to swing at least his (or her) right thigh in the leg-accessbay 81, without being cramped by the headrest margin 112L. Presumably,the sonographer will set the height of the bed 100 something more nearlytable height, than chair-seat height, so that less energy is expendedwhile setting down to and standing up from being seated. Furthermore,the sonographer's right leg, while seated, will only be partiallyflexed, and hence his or her knee will preferably take an elevationbelow the undergirding structure 140 of the mattress assembly 104 Foramong other reasons, this allows the leg-access opening 80 to get bywith an abbreviated longitudinal gap, and concurrently allows for a morelongitudinally-compact wedge section 120 as well.

In striking a balance among all the foregoing size issues, it ispreferred if the longitudinal gap of the leg-access opening 80 (andlongitudinal extension of the wedge section 120) measures about eleveninches (twenty-eight cm), compared to the thirteen inches (thirty-threecm) for the heart-region access opening 90. More significantly, it ispreferred if the bench margin 114L of the leg-access opening 80 extendsalong a line about two inches (five cm) forward of the bench margin 114Hfor the heart-region access opening 90. The wedge section 120 willcorrespondingly have a bench-side terminus 124 that likewise two inches(five cm) or so short of the bench margin 114H of the heart-regionaccess openings. FIG. 3 shows that this geometry allows a properlyoutstretched patient's buttocks to curl around, free of interferencefrom the wedge section 120's bench-ward terminus 124. The relativeproportions of these things achieves all the followingadvantages:—namely, it is more comfortable to the patient, it assiststhe sonographer with finding proper positioning for the patient, and thewedge section is better configured to apply support where wanted (in thelower back) than where not (against the buttocks).

To shift focus at this point away from issues of relative proportions,the description that follows next focuses instead on structural andconstruction issues. In FIG. 6, the mattress assembly 104 is undergirdedby—for example and without limitation—an undergirding framework ofrectangular tubing 140. The undergirding 140 carries an upholsteredcushioning layer 142 that has upholstered foam or cushion materiallaying atop a substrate 144 of plywood or other suitable materialincluding without limitation particle board, wood-product composite, orother synthetic planar materials. The wheeled carriage 106 comprisesanother rectangular-tube frame assembly that forms an II-shaped cart orbogie 146, including caster-style wheels, upon which is anchored a solecentrally-disposed telescoping leg 148. The cart 146's (or bogie's)configuration in the II-shape provides relative elimination of obstaclesto trip or impede the movements of the sonographer around the bed 100 aswell as in-and-out of the various access openings 80 and 90. Thetelescoping leg 148 allows adjustment of the mattress 104's elevation.The leg 148 might be mechanically driven by an electric actuator or thelike or user-actuated by treadle pump or the like (not shown).

FIGS. 8 and 9 show a non-limiting example of a latching system 150 forthe drop section 125. It has latch pins 152 that retract from latchingpositions (eg., oppositely extending or projecting positions) fromcorresponding sockets 141 (see FIG. 7) formed in the mattress assembly104's rectangular-tube undergirding 140 that extend along the headrestand bench margins 112H and 114H of the heart-region access opening 90.The drop section 125 can be unlatched swiftly, easily as twisting alever handle 154, so that the drop section 125 is thus freed to swingdown from its latched (ie., closed or in-fill) position to its deployedposition, in which it hangs suspended by pivot pins 127. The dropsection 125 has a rectangular-tube undergirding forming an open square.The outboard-most tube provides mounting for the hand-lever 154 asshown. The lever 154 changes at a right angle into a shaft 156. Theshaft 156 drives a crank arm 157, which is welded thereto or otherwisesecured. The crank arm 157 extends from the shaft 156 to a terminal endwhich secures the origin-ends of a pair of pull cables 158. The pullcables 158 loop around idlers to terminate in attachments to the backends of the opposite latch pins 152. Accordingly, twisting the lever'shandle 154 (eg., clockwise in FIG. 9) causes the pull cables 158 to pullor retract the latch pins 152 out and free of the sockets 141.

To turn now to the wedge section 120 and its brace 160, FIG. 4 showsbetter that the brace 160 is produced as a slender bar having a loweredge formed with a series of notches 162. As the case with theheart-region access opening 90, the leg-access opening 80 is rimmed byportions of rectangular-tube undergirding 140 that undergirds the majormattress section 110 as whole. The headrest and bench margins 112L and112H thereof carry attached stops 162 at the outboard extremes of theleg-access opening 80 for limiting the downward swing of the wedgesection 120 into a level or “in-fill” position. In use, the brace 160allows a sonographer freedom to adjust the wedge section 120 to one ofseveral available use angles. To do this, the sonographer simply liftsup the wedge section 120 and rests any one of the brace 160's notches160 in a catch pin 166 of a ring link. To readjust the wedge section120, the sonographer simply thrusts the brace 120 to move the “caught”notch 162 off the catch pin 166, then readjusts the wedge section 120 toa succeeding desired angle and thus height, and finishes by pushing thebrace 160 back down so that an appropriate one of the notches 162catches onto the catch pin 166 of the ring link. Thus the wedge section120 is adjustable between an in-fill or closed position (FIG. 6) andvarious degrees of deployed positions (as, for example, the 90° straightup position shown by FIG. 7). In use, the sonographer might pre-set theangle before the exam. Once the patient is stretched out across the bed100 and/or during the exam, the sonographer might make quick adjustmentsto the angle to get it more exactly where the sonographer wants it.

The inventive wedge section and ledge combination 120 and 130 provideadvantages over the prior art. A weak and unsteady patient cancontribute greater to the effort to hold an uncomfortable position withthe use of the wedge section 120 than without. Hence the sonography bed100 in accordance with the invention includes inventive structurefunctioning in inventive ways to provide advantages only provided asapplicants have brought to use.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a sonography bed 100 ¹ in accordancewith an alternate embodiment of the invention. It has dual movable wedgesections 120 ⁰ and 120 ⁰ spaced by a ledge or strip portion 130 ¹ of themajor mattress section 110 ¹ extending between and connecting a firstportion 112 ¹ and second portion 114 ¹ of the major mattress section 110⁰. Whereas the drawing shows a mirror-opposite construction of the dualwedge sections 120 ⁰ and 120 ¹, alternatively the dual wedge sections120 ⁰ and 120 ⁰ could be offset, or else sized differently and so on.The dual wedge sections 120 ⁰ and 120 ¹ form an access bay or slip-inspace for the sonographer(s) from both or either of the left and rightsides. The dual wedge sections 120 ⁰ and 120 ⁰ (in the deployedpositions as shown) serve to stabilize a patient in proper position inright or left decubitus position (not shown) during certain vascular orabdominal sonograms. This bed configuration 100 ¹ more particularly isadvantageous for various gynecological, vascular (eg., leg/crotcharteries) and renal (eg., kidney) exams. In such exams, the patients lieon their sides and examiners have a use for such a double-wedge sectionconfiguration, especially if the double-wedge sections 120 ⁰ and 120 ¹are not centered but relatively nearer one end of the bed 100 ¹ than theother.

FIG. 12 and its companion views FIGS. 11 and 13 comprise series thatdepict another embodiment of the sonography bed 100 ² in accordance withthe invention. This version of the bed 100 ² has power-driven movablesections that move as shown in FIG. 11 or 12.

More particularly, this FIG. 12 version of the bed 100 ² has movablewedge and drop sections 120 and 125 as does the FIG. 1 bed. In contrast,the FIG. 12 bed 100 ² furthermore has a movable backrest section 170(sometimes referred to as a “Fowler” panel), an intermediate seatsection 172, and optionally a movable knee-comfort section 174. It isoptional if the seat section 172 is fixed level for all times. In thedrawings, the seat section 172 is illustrated movable at least into anextreme up-lifted position as shown in dashed lines in FIG. 12.

FIG. 12's movable backrest section 170 is formed with the wedge and dropsections 120 and 125 (as better shown by FIG. 11). The folding backrestsection 170 allows conversion of the bed 100 ² into more like a chair orreclining chair. The folding backrest section 170 is movable between alevel position, as FIG. 12 shows in solid lines, through various anglesof inclination, an example being shown in dashed lines.

Both FIGS. 11 and 12 show that the various movable sections are linkedpower drives, or more preferably, linear actuators. FIG. 13 shows betterthat a representative linear actuator 180 has a drive rod 182 which canbe driven in extension and retraction strokes as desired. In FIG. 13,this actuator 180 is shown interlinked with the drop section 125 forillustration of how the other movable sections might be inter-linkedwith their corresponding drive actuator.

In FIG. 13, the actuator 180 extends between the terminal end of thedrive rod 182 and an opposite stop end 184. The stop end 184 includes abracket for securing to a given anchorage. In this view, the anchoragecomprises the rectangular-tube undergirding 140 on the opposite side ofthe bed 100 ² from the heart-region access opening 90. The drive rod 182is inter-linked with the movable drop section 125 by a linkage system190 that is mounted on an axle 191. The linkage system 190 includes acylindrical sleeve 192 mounted for revolution about the axle 191, aninput arm 194 and output arm 195 fixed to the opposite ends of thesleeve 192, and a connecting link 196 to the drop section 125. The axle191 is fixed beneath the undergirding 140 of the mattress assembly 104such that the sleeve turns on the same axis as the drop section 125'spivot axis 127 (see FIG. 11). The input arm 194 is fixed to one end ofthe sleeve 192 and extends to a pinned connection with the actuator180's drive rod 182. The output arm 195 is fixed to the opposite end ofthe sleeve 192 and extends to a pinned connection with one end of theconnecting link 196, the opposite end thereof being in a pinnedconnection with a bracket on the underside of the drop section 125 asshown.

In order that the sonographer not be impeded with standing in theleg-access bay 81 and/or siting on the bench margin 114L thereof, allthe linear actuators and associated linkage systems have to be arrangedand attached to the bed 1002 so as to not interfere with thesonographer's freedom to stand or sit so. In other words, all structureand mechanisms have to be designed to give clearance to that much of theleg-access bay 81 likely to be in path of natural standing and seatingmovements of the sonographer, including not just the outboard gapdefined by the leg-access bay 81 or else the perch on the bench margin114L for the sonographer's seat, but also any airspace under the bed 100² which a sonographer will likely kick or swing a leg. This clearance isachieved in part by inclusion of the sleeve 192. It allows a designer tooffset two parallel planes, neither illustrated, but one containing theinput arm 194 and the other containing the output arm 195. That way, themounting of the linear actuator 180 can be chosen by design to be asremote and spaced away as desired from the respective movable section itdrives (eg., 125 in FIG. 13).

FIG. 13 shows the linear actuator 180 in an extreme retracted position,such that the drop section 125 is moved to its deployed or downposition. The linear actuator 180 is controllable to drive its drive rod182 into an extreme extended position so that the drop section 125 isdriven into its shut or “in-fill” position, as shown in FIG. 11 in solidline. To date it is preferred without limitation to utilizeelectric-powered linear actuators 180. This affords the convenience ofproducing a controller out of electric switches or other suchelectric-circuit devices.

Incorporating power equipment provides the sonographer with severaladvantages. One is mechanical advantage, ie., the linear actuators 180do the heavy work. Two is remote control. The drop section 125 inparticular can be operated without the sonographer having to be withinreach of a lever (eg., as shown by FIG. 8 or 9). For instance, thesonographer might prefer to leave the drop section 125 shut or flatafter assisting the patient onto the bed 100 ² until after thesonographer has come around to the opposite side. That way, thesonographer might simply leave the drop section 125 shut until thesonographer has such time to take a seat in the leg-access bay 81 on theopposite side. Additional advantages of power-driven movable sectionsinclude virtually infinite choices of angle adjustment, and this isespecially desirable for the wedge section 120, in contrast to the setnumber of choices defined by the teeth in the notched brace 160 in FIG.4.

It is preferred to provide the FIG. 12 bed 100 ² with dual control units(not shown), each having full control over any and all of the linearactuators as the other. The distinction between the control units isthat, preferably one is handheld and hand-operated while the other ismounted and foot-operated. The handheld unit can be carried about or berested in places where the sonographer chooses, so it is there where heor she puts it when he or she wants it. In distinction, thefoot-operated control unit is mounted somewhere low (as on the II-shapedcart or bogie 146) but preferably accessible by a seated sonographer inthe leg-access opening 80. That way, as soon as the sonographer swingsinto the leg-access opening 80 and/or takes a seat on the bench margin114L thereof, all control over the movable sections are thereafter athis or her disposal on the foot-operated unit. Among other things, thefoot-operated unit frees both hands of the sonographer from managementover any movable section's position. Hands-free controls in combinationwith fast-acting actuators may also speed up the time in which thesonographer can get things done around the bed 100 ². In a stress echotest, the window of opportunity after exercise is stopped is aboutforty-five seconds. Time is paramount. The time saved by a hands-freecontrolled, power-driven drop section is advantageously significant.

The invention having been disclosed in connection with the foregoingvariations and examples, additional variations will now be apparent topersons skilled in the art. The invention is not intended to be limitedto the variations specifically mentioned, and accordingly referenceshould be made to the appended claims rather than the foregoingdiscussion of preferred examples, to assess the scope of the inventionin which exclusive rights are claimed.

1. A patient exam bed comprising: an elongated bed surface extendingbetween left and right sides and a pair of ends, and being formed withleft and right openings such that the bed surface comprises a relativelyenlarged headrest portion, a relatively enlarged bench portion, and aledge portion longitudinally bridging therebetween and also defining therespective inboard margins of the left and right openings, wherein saidleft opening provides underneath exposure of the heart region of areclining patient's left-side rib cage, and wherein said ledge portionprovides undergirding support for a thin strip of the patient's rib cagein order to support against sagging into the left opening; a drop flapfor temporarily filling the left opening in order to present with saidbed surface a generally uninterrupted patient-supporting area along thelength of the bed surface adjacent the left side, and pivoted along agiven margin of the left opening for dropping out of said left openingby swinging down in order to open said left opening; a latchingmechanism for temporarily latching the drop flap in position oftemporarily filling the left opening, said latching mechanism includinga manual actuator which is actuated by a one-handed or hands-freeactuation so a sonographer has at least a hand and arm not occupied withdropping the drop flap and free for steadying the patient duringactuation, and which actuator when actuated unlatches the drop flap forautomatically dropping out of the left opening in order that thesonographer not be any further occupied with dropping the drop flapother than actuating the actuator; and a prop section for the rightopening attached to the bed for disposition in an up position withpatient's ribs' the bed surface and provide a rest for the patient tolean against with respect to the thin strip supported on the ledgeportion; whereby said prop section in the up position and said ledgeportion cooperatively provide anti-rolling and anti-sagging support forreclining patients.
 2. The patient exam bed of claim 1 wherein, withsaid prop section in the up position, said patient exam bed excludesstructure restrictive to the sonographer's freedom to swing a leg in theright opening or thereafter take a seat on the bench portion.
 3. Thepatient exam bed of claim 2 wherein said prop section is attached to thebed for movable adjustment ranging from straight up to shallower anglesof inclination with respect to the ledge portion.
 4. The patient exambed of claim 3 further comprising: a fixing arrangement for releasablyfixing the prop section temporarily immovable.
 5. The patient exam bedof claim 4 wherein: the fixing arrangement is either configured forone-handed operation and comprises a multiply-notched brace, suspendedfrom the prop section's headrest margin, and a fixed catch pin, securedto a margin of the right opening defined by the headrest portion, oralternatively is configured for hands-free operation and comprises acoupling system, a drive source mounted under the bed and remote fromthe prop section, and a foot-operated control unit for operative controlover the adjustment of the prop section.
 6. The patient exam bed ofclaim 3 wherein said prop section, at least in the straight up position,presents a buffer between the back of a reclining patient and the lap ofthe sonographer when seated on the bench portion with a leg swung in theright opening.
 7. The patient exam bed of claim 3 wherein the propsection is installed for movement furthermore to a fill position inwhich the prop section presents with said bed surface a generallyuninterrupted patient-supporting area along the length of the bedsurface adjacent the right side.
 8. The patient exam bed of claim 1wherein: the actuator comprises either a depressible lever or pushbutton, either of which affords actuation by a bump from a single hand,forearm, elbow or hip.
 9. The patient exam bed of claim 8 wherein thegiven margin of the left opening to which the drop flap is pivotedcomprises the inboard margin.
 10. A patient exam bed comprising: anelongated bed surface extending between left and right sides and a pairof ends, and being formed with left and right openings such that the bedsurface comprises a relatively enlarged headrest portion, a relativelyenlarged bench portion, and a ledge portion bridging longitudinallytherebetween as well as laterally spacing the left and right openings,wherein said left opening provides exposure from underneath to the heartregion of a reclining patient's left-side rib cage, and wherein saidledge portion provides undergirding support for a thin strip of thepatient's rib cage in order to support against sagging into the leftopening; a filler section for the left opening and installed to the bedfor movement between a fill position in which the filler sectionpresents with said bed surface a generally uninterruptedpatient-supporting area along the length of the bed surface adjacent theleft side, and, a retracted position which opens said left opening andprovides a sonographer an unobstructed reach to the reclining patient'sleft-side rib cage; a powered drive system for moving the filler sectioncomprising a drive source, a coupling system coupling the filler sectionto the bed and having an input connection connected to the drive sourcefor driving the coupling system to cycle the filler section between thefill and retracted positions, and a manual control-signal entry devicewhich is operated by a one-handed or hands-free operation so thesonographer has at least a hand and arm not occupied with enteringcontrol signals to the drive system and thus free for steadying thepatient during the retraction of the filler section; and, a prop sectionfor the right opening attached to the bed for movable adjustment rangingfrom straight up to shallower angles of inclination with respect to theledge portion and being located to provide a rest for the patient tolean against with patient's ribs' the thin strip supported on the ledgeportion, and the heart region of the patient's left-side rib cagesubstantially exposed from underneath through the left opening when thefiller section is retracted; whereby said prop section and ledge portioncooperatively provide anti-rolling and anti-sagging support forreclining patients.
 11. The patient exam bed of claim 10 wherein, withthe prop section deployed up, said patient exam bed excludes structurerestrictive to the sonographer's freedom to swing a leg in the rightopening or thereafter take a seat on the bench portion.
 12. The patientexam bed of claim 10 further comprising: a fixing arrangement forreleasably fixing the prop section temporarily immovable.
 13. Thepatient exam bed of claim 12 wherein: the fixing arrangement is eitherconfigured for one-handed operation and comprises a multiply-notchedbrace, suspended from the prop section's headrest margin, and a fixedcatch pin, secured to a margin of the right opening defined by theheadrest portion, or alternatively is configured for hands-freeoperation and comprises a coupling system, a drive source mounted underthe bed and remote from the prop section, and a foot-operated controlunit for operative control over the adjustment of the prop section. 14.The patient exam bed of claim 10 wherein said prop section, if deployedeither straight up or otherwise relatively steeply, presents a bufferbetween the back of a reclining patient and the lap of the sonographerwhen seated on the bench portion with a leg swung in the right opening.15. The patient exam bed of claim 10 wherein said filler section ispivoted along a given margin of the left opening for dropping out ofsaid left opening by swinging down in order to open said left opening.16. The patient exam bed of claim 15 wherein the given margin of theleft opening to which the filler section is pivoted comprises theinboard margin.
 17. A patient exam bed comprising: an elongated bedsurface extending between left and right sides and a pair of ends, andbeing formed with left and right openings such that the bed surfacecomprises a relatively enlarged first portion, a relatively moreexpansive relatively enlarged second portion and a ledge portionbridging longitudinally therebetween, as well as laterally spacing theleft and right openings, for undergirding a reclining patient's torso; afill section for temporarily filling the left opening, directly attachedto the bed for movement between a fill position flush with the bedsurface and a retracted position which opens the left opening in orderto provide underneath exposure of the heart region of a recliningpatient's left-side rib cage while at the same time the ledge portionprovides undergirding support for a thin strip of the patient's rib cagein order to support against sagging into the left opening; a propsection for the right opening, directly attached to the bed for movementbetween a fill position flush with the bed surface and various deployedup positions; wherein said patient exam bed excludes structure that isrestrictive to a sonographer's freedom to swing a leg in the rightopening or thereafter take a seat on the second portion when the propsection is deployed steeply up; wherein said prop section is deployableto provide anti-rolling support for reclining patients.
 18. The patientexam bed of claim 17 further comprising: a powered drive system for thefill section comprising a drive source, a coupling system coupling thefill section to the bed and having an input connection connected to thedrive source for driving the coupling system to cycle the fill sectionbetween the fill and retracted positions, and a manual control-signalentry device which is operated by a one-handed or hands-free operationso the sonographer has at least a hand and arm not occupied withentering control signals to the drive system and thus free for steadyingthe patient during retraction of the fill section.
 19. The patient exambed of claim 18 wherein: the fill section is pivoted along a givenmargin of the left opening for dropping out of said left opening to theretracted position by swinging down in order to open said left opening;and said patient exam bed further comprises a latching mechanism fortemporarily latching the fill section in the fill position, saidlatching mechanism including a manual actuator which is actuated by aone-handed or hands-free actuation so the sonographer has at least ahand and arm not occupied with dropping the drop flap and thus free forsteadying the patient during actuation, and which actuator when actuatedunlatches the drop flap for automatically dropping out of the leftopening in order that the sonographer not be any further occupied withdropping the drop flap other than actuating the actuator.